Deng Ziming, 35 years old, was born in Xianyang, Guanzhong. He followed his father and brother in business since he was a child, and later became the helmsman of the Deng family. Because he had a close relationship with people from Shibalibao, he was implicated in the Lanzhou murder case and was imprisoned. He escaped after dissipating his family wealth.
He started his career from scratch with eight defrauded Datong girls. In just a few months, he established his own brand in Dunhuang and became a leader in the Xiliang Fengyue world.
This man was loyal, flexible, and eclectic. He was a rare talent. More importantly, he and Yuan Feng were old friends, so on the eve of his departure, the Generalissimo's Mansion summoned Deng Ziming.
Deng Ziming changed into a moon-white satin robe and wore a chinchilla leather waistcoat. Logically speaking, he should wear dark robes in winter, but moon-white clothes are popular in the local area. As a well-known boss in Dunhuang City, of course he
Gotta keep up with the trend.
Deng Ziming had his own reasons for being reduced from a caravan businessman to a prostitute practitioner. Without capital, he could not turn over, so he had to work in this despicable industry. In order to survive, he could not care about any face. Besides, the status of a businessman was not high in the first place.
, so what if it goes down a little further.
Thanks to the officials of the Xiliang Kingdom, the Ministry of Revenue sent someone to tell him a few days ago that a group of people and goods wanted to return eastward with the Deng family's motorcade, and asked him to help take care of it. This was a good thing, and Deng Ziming was worried that he would not have a chance.
He was on the line with the government. After the incident at Shibali Fort, he finally figured out that no matter how much money he had, it would be in vain. As the official saying goes, if you are told to destroy you, you will be destroyed. How can you live in this world?
, it is absolutely impossible without a backer.
It was already ready, but suddenly another order came, and there was an invitation from the Generalissimo's Mansion. This time, Deng Ziming was panicked. He, a humble citizen, even alerted the Generalissimo? I don't know if it was a blessing or a curse, no matter what.
He said, "Let's go and adapt accordingly."
The Generalissimo is not an ordinary person. He is a more powerful character than Cao Yanhui. Although the official title is Generalissimo, he is actually the King of Xiliang. This is something everyone knows. While waiting for this legendary figure,
Deng Ziming was restless and took out his handkerchief to wipe his sweat from time to time. In fact, the room was not that hot, but he was just too nervous.
"The Generalissimo invites Deng Ziming to see him." A blue-robed official came in and said. Deng Ziming quickly arranged his clothes and followed the man.
Passing through the long corridor and entering the back house of the Marshal's Mansion, there were soldiers with muskets and scimitars on their waists all along the way. It can be said that they were heavily guarded. Deng Ziming walked all the way with fear, and was finally taken into a house. This is the house of Ayiwang in the Western Regions.
The winter room is small in size, with a skylight above and good lighting. There is a warm fireplace in the room. Bows and arrows and wolf skins are hung on the wall. Two chairs are placed casually. The chairs are covered with Tianzhu white tiger skin. It is simple.
The furnishings naturally create an atmosphere of war and war.
There was no one in the room, so the blue-robed official asked Deng Ziming to wait for a moment, and then went out. Deng Ziming didn't dare to sit in the room, nor did he dare to walk. He was not such a timid person, just because Xiliang
The officials of the Zhou Dynasty are not the same as the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If you have not interacted with them before, they will naturally be unfamiliar. The unfamiliarity will lead to fear.
Just as he was thinking wildly, the door opened and a man walked in. He was tall and tall, wearing an indigo cotton robe. A copper-headed belt was fastened around his waist, and an ordinary scimitar hung hanging on it. Deng Ziming was about to lower it.
Bye, suddenly I saw the face of the visitor.
"Brother Feng!"
"Brother Deng!"
"It's really you!"
"It's me."
Deng Ziming's eyes were full of tears and he couldn't say anything. He stepped forward and hugged Yuan Feng tightly, patting his back hard: "Good brother, I thought you were dead."
"Brother Deng, sit down and talk." Yuan Feng's nose was also sore, so he asked Deng Ziming to sit down and poured a cup of milk tea himself, "Brother Deng, how are you doing recently?"
"Don't mention it. First, he was imprisoned by the old thief Wen Yan, and his family's property was sold before he was able to get out. Then he got a serious illness. The children of the Deng family left and dispersed. Even if such a big family is defeated, old brother
I was not willing to fall into this situation, so I borrowed some money to buy some clothes, rented a few carriages, and tricked a few bitches from Datong into coming to Xiliang to do skin and flesh business. It was a pity for me. The business has improved a bit recently.
But... by the way, brother Feng, you are the general's guard, right? Can you reveal some information about why I came here today?"
Yuan Feng's dress was so ordinary that Deng Ziming regarded him as a junior official in the Shuai Mansion. Yuan Feng smiled slightly: "Actually, I invited Brother Deng to come."
"Ah, then...could it...not be possible?" Deng Ziming spoke incoherently, his eyes widening.
"Yes, my younger brother is temporarily taking over the post of Generalissimo of Xiliang."
Deng Ziming stood up quickly, bowed his head and said, "I see you, the prince."
Before his knees even touched the ground, Yuan Feng helped him up: "Brother Deng, no matter what you said, we are still good brothers, don't do such things."
This time Deng Ziming was even more excited, with tears streaming down his face: "Brother, you finally got out! I know you are not just an idle person. The thing in the pond has eyes in the sky, the sky has eyes!"
After Deng Ziming's mood returned to calm, Yuan Feng said: "Brother Deng, I invite you to come here this time to discuss something important."
Deng Ziming suddenly stood up: "Generalissimo, please tell me. Wind and fire can come and go, all with one word."
"Sit down and talk slowly." Yuan Feng said with a smile: "Brother Deng, does he want to be a businessman all his life, or does he have greater ambitions?"
"Our Deng family has been doing business for generations. In fact, we only want food and clothing. We, the Deng family, are not good at culture and martial arts. We have no way to do anything else. To be honest, who doesn't want to shine in the official uniform of black gauze..."
The official position is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation for thousands of years. No matter how big the business is, it is still not as impressive as being an official. Only if there are a few officials from the right background who have promoted people and promoted scholars in the family can there be smoke on the ancestral graves. Deng Ziming naturally
No exception.
"The younger brother invites the elder brother here this time because he wants to appoint him to an official position. He will be promoted by the Transportation Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs. What does the elder brother think?"
"Promoted to the Transportation Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs, what kind of official position is this?"
"You are responsible for transporting the specialties and treasures from Xiliang to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and then purchasing and transporting the materials we need back. This can be considered your old profession."
"Help our court do business, I'm good at this! But...is it just business?"
Yuan Feng laughed heartily and was very satisfied with Deng Ziming's astuteness. There was no need to set up a special official position to do business. There must be something famous behind the Department of Transportation of the Ministry of Revenue.
"Currently, we are doing business. We set up trading houses in various places in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to purchase various materials that we need in Xiliang and transport them back through any possible channels. At the same time, we collect military and civil intelligence, recruit talents, and carry out any tasks assigned by the Marshal's Office, including
……kill."
Deng Ziming understood that the so-called Transshipment Department was a secret agency with a harmless appearance. Can he bear such a heavy burden? He couldn't help but hesitate. Seeing how he hesitated to speak, Yuan Feng answered: "No one can
I am not born to do this business, but I think businessmen have a natural advantage in doing this. After all, it is a job of dealing with people. Don’t think too complicated. You don’t have to do the killing and killing. Naturally
There are dedicated people to do this, so your task at the moment is just to purchase supplies and find a way to smuggle them in. We can do other things after we get familiar with them."
Deng Ziming felt relieved and said, "I'll take this job."
Yuan Feng clapped his hands, and two soldiers came in from outside, carrying a nanmu box. The box was opened, and the room was filled with golden light. Deng Ziming's eyes were dazzled. Oh my god, they were all gold coins of excellent quality! The whole box was piled up.
Even though Deng Ziming was determined, he couldn't resist the temptation of so much gold. He couldn't help but stepped forward, picked up a gold coin and bit it with his teeth. It was real gold! They were all Timurid Empire gold coins popular in the Western Regions.
"These are the start-up funds for you. There are two thousand taels of gold in total. Use it first. If there is not enough, there will be more." Yuan Feng said with a smile. Although he failed to reach Samarkand and plunder the mountains of wealth, Xiliang also made a profit.
The pots were full, and the wealth left by Timur was enough for them to squander it for a while. They were too embarrassed to take out the silver. The least they could do was gold coins.
At this time, copper money was still popular in the Central Plains, as well as ingots and ingots cast by the government. Gold had not entered the circulation field at all. Gold was so rare in the Central Plains. If these two thousand taels of gold were taken to the Zhou Dynasty, it would be a huge sum.
A huge amount of money.
Deng Ziming's eyes were filled with golden light, and the little worries he had originally had been thrown out of the sky. Who should I be afraid of now that I have money! He patted his chest and vowed: "When I go back, I will gather the children of the clan to transport us.
Si's trading companies have opened all over the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, please take a look."
Yuan Feng nodded with satisfaction and said: "Don't panic, the urgent task now is to send me to Lanzhou."
"Ah, the guest that Zhongshu Province asked me to take with me turned out to be you." Deng Ziming exclaimed.
"What, is it difficult?"
"No, now the border is only allowed to enter but not to leave. Merchants from the Central Plains can pass by."
"That's very good. You go back and get ready. Take this box of gold with you, and go to the Ministry of Household Affairs tomorrow to get your official certificate and official seal. From now on, you will be promoted by the Transfer Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Liangzhou.
A fifth-grade official."
Two soldiers helped Deng Ziming carry the box. Yuan Feng sent him out all the way. As soon as he came out, it was freezing outside, but Deng Ziming's heart was as warm as spring. He is a fifth-rank official! He is a fifth-rank official if he wins the Jinshi.
, I, an insignificant businessman, can actually wear official uniforms and black gauze to shine in my family. If one day Xiliang invades the Central Plains and Brother Feng takes over the world, wouldn't he become the founding father of the country?
It's not impossible to have a title of nobility.
Deng Ziming had wild imagination, humming a ditty proudly on the carriage, immersed in the fantasy world he had built.